Distraction
by TK Catsby
Summary: How I think Kemu's first attempt to kill the twin demons turned out. You shouldn't go charging blindly into dangerous situations, stupid pup. Oneshot. Kind of OkixKai, if you want. Or even SamicklexKai, if you really, really want.


**I recently picked up Okami again and got to Kamui. I fell in love with this stupid pup as soon as I saw him. This is my version of what happened when Kemu went to try to slay Lechku and Nechku, before Amaterasu and the gang arrive. You know, that story they tell a couple times...**

**I don't own Okami.  
**

* * *

The wolf crouched low in the snow, ears plastered against its skull in the raging blizzard. _This… is worse than I had anticipated… _he thought, struggling to put one paw in front of the other. His vision was hazy, eyes slits against the roaring winds and battering snow. It looked as if his aged body was going to be blown away at any moment, but grim determination kept him on the ground. _I must get to the lake… _

In the distance, he heard the roar of a demon, echoing hollowly from the peak of the mountain. _Almost… _He braced himself against a sudden gust of wind. _Almost there…_

*

"Samickle, please! It's too dangerous to follow him! The demons are aware of Kemu's approach. They've strengthened the blizzard tenfold!"

Kai stumbled back in the snow, Samickle shrugging her off roughly. "It doesn't matter," he growled, hand straying to the sword at his belt, "Without Kemu, all is lost. I will gladly sacrifice myself if it means our elder's survival."

"But its suicide!" she cried, features distraught behind her mask, "What good will it do us to lose one of our finest warriors as well?!"

Samickle's eyes hardened. "I will get Kemu back here safely. Even if it costs me my life." He turned away from her, forcing his emotions into submission. _I'm sorry, Kai… _he said silently, _I must protect the village… _

"It's hopeless."

Startled, both Oina turned to face the owner of the new voice. Oki stood, hand resting against the rough bark of a frozen sakura tree, the snow already forming a thin layer on his shoulders and hair. His demeanor was casual, but his voice gave away the seriousness of the situation. "If you follow Kemu alone, neither of you will return," he said.

A low growl emanated from the back of Samickle's throat. "Do you intend to try to stop me?" he demanded, lips pulled back in a snarl behind his mask.

Oki snorted. "Listen to what I say, Samickle," he chastised.

The older warrior snarled. "Still as hot-headed as ever, pup. I suggest you learn your place, or-"

"I said that if you go _alone _neither of you will survive," the blue-haired boy interrupted. He stepped forward, adjusting the pack on his back. Samickle stopped, noticing it for the first time.

"That's why I'm going with you."

*

It took a lot to convince Kai to let the two warriors leave. Even after giving in to their reassurances and reasoning, she still saw them off with tears streaming down her concealed cheeks. Oki had to turn away as soon as he saw this to keep his own feelings at bay, unable to bear seeing her so upset.

"We must hurry," Samickle muttered as they made their way up the mountain. The process was agonizingly slow, the snow-storm having picked up as soon as the duo left the village. Heads bent low, they could only manage a slow gait. "The lake is not far!"

They knew that the demons knew they were coming. They knew that they were at a horrible disadvantage. Yet the two Oina warriors were determined to get their elder back alive. It had been foolish of him to venture into the mountains alone, even if he was the most experienced of anyone in the village. In his old age, there was no chance of him prevailing against two powerful demons such as Lechku and Nechku. With the three of them together though… they might be able to escape with their lives…

"There!" Samickle shouted, pointing with his snout. Oki lifted his head, peering through the furious flakes. They had arrived at the steps leading to the lakefront.

"Something's wrong…" Oki hissed, red-violet eyes fixed on the top of the steps. Through the blizzard, he could see a dark shadow at the summit, tendrils creeping slowly downwards like malignant snakes.

Samickle froze when he saw it, eyes widened. "This is bad…" he muttered. _Kemu could be… _He shook his head, ridding himself of the thought. "Let's go!" He took off at the closest possible thing to a sprint, paws kicking up snow behind him.

"Wait!" Oki called, but the blue wolf was already out of hearing distance. _Damn… _he swore silently, _Stupid old man… _

Without another thought, he took off after him up the snow covered steps.

*

The darkness hung about the altar like a deadly pestilence, obscuring the area with a sickening mist. Oki skidded to a halt beside Samickle, an arm raised to cover his mouth. "What in the world…"

"Kemu!" Samickle cried, spying the fallen wolf only a few yards away. In a heartbeat, he was by the elder's side, a hand resting on the sandy flank. "Chief, please answer me!"

Kemu's eyes fluttered open, peering up at his follower wearily. "You should not have come…"

"Chief, please, we have to get out of here! The demons are-"

He was cut off by the thunderous roars of the very two demons he had just mentioned. His hand flew to the blade at his hip as his eyes flickered up to the altar. What he saw paralyzed him.

The trio watched with wide eyes as the twin demons spread their wings. What should've been beautiful gold and silver was muted by the shadows that ate at them. The darkness swirled about the two, obscuring and revealing their bodies, never leaving their face.

Oki swallowed dryly, staring up at Lechku and Nechku. A cold feeling was in his stomach and his mind registered it as fear. Yes… he was afraid. He was terrified of these two magnificently powerful creatures… and yet...

"Samickle…"

The blue-clad warrior made no indication that he had heard him, his eyes fixed on the demons in front of them.

Oki continued anyway. "Take the Chief and run."

At this, he received a low growl from the older Oina. Though he said nothing, the message was clear.

_I'm not leaving without you._

"Fool!" Oki snarled, unsheathing his katana and positioning himself between his comrades and their enemy. "I'll distract them while you escape!" What little light there was shone on the steel as he assumed an offensive stance.

Samickle leapt to his feet, knowing instantly what the younger warrior intended to do. "Stupid pup! You'll die!"

But Oki was already sprinting towards the two demons, blade raised high, a battle cry tearing from his lips.

*

Kai was still outside when Samickle and Kemu returned to the village. With a gasp, she let the blanket she had wrapped around her fall to the ground as they approached. The elderly man was leaning heavily on the other's shoulder.

"Oki…" she said softly, moving forward to meet the two. Already, she was feeling that familiar pressure on her heart.

Samickle let his eyes drift to the ground, unable to answer. For Kai, this was answer enough. Without warning, she sank to her knees, hands raised to her ears as if trying to block out the unspoken words.

_I never should've let him go…_

*

"Foolish little wolf…" Lechku's voice sounded in Oki's head, hauntingly. Tauntingly. He growled, struggling to his feet, every muscle in his body on fire. Breathing hard, he glared up at the twin demons, one eye shut against a stream of blood. His mask was lying a few feet in front of him, cracked. The snow around it was red.

"He thought he would be a hero and save his little friends, did he?" Nechku chimed in with its sibling, "Silly, silly…"

"Shut up…" Oki muttered under his breath, clenching the hilt of his sword harder, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" He charged again, this time towards the silver sibling. Fury had replaced his fear, adrenaline pulsing through his veins with every beat of his heart.

He didn't even make it ten feet. An oversized icicle came seemingly out of nowhere, lodging itself firmly in the Oina fighter's sword arm. He spun with the blow, katana flying out of his grasp. _Shit! _With wide eyes, he watched it, waiting to see where it landed, the pain in his arm only heightening his senses-

-only to be thrown backwards by a blow to the stomach. There was a sickening crack, Oki tumbling painfully into a boulder. His head cracked against the stone. Dazed and bleeding, he laid there, momentarily immobilized. The darkness seemed stronger than before, eating away at the edges of his vision. _Don't pass out… _

At that moment, a shrill note rang out, echoing through the pass. _A flute? _Oki started, blinking, head turning as he searched for the source of the sound.

Both demons stopped their advance towards the fallen swordsman. "Who interferes?!" Their voices were one as they whirled around in search of the musician.

More music was the only answer, the notes forming a beautiful, yet sadly painful melody.

"Pay it no heed, Nechku," Lechku hissed to its silver counterpart, "The wolf-"

"-is gone!" Nechku wailed, staring at where its prey had been only moments before.

"What?!" Lechku spun around. The boulder were Oki had lain was bare, a crimson smear on the rock the only thing remaining of him. Whatever prints there would've been had disappeared under the falling snow as soon as they were made. Lechku let out a cracked laugh. "Very well then, little wolf," it hissed, "We can wait until the Day of Darkness…"

Lying on the ground near the altar, the cracked mask and pristine blade were already buried.

*

No one had been able to get Kai to move. Despite the attempts of Lika, their mother, and Samickle- when he had returned from taking Kemu to the healers- she was still kneeling there in the snow. At some point, someone had had the heart to wrap blankets around her. They received no thanks.

And so, she came to be the first to see Oki return.

The navy wolf was limping, his right foreleg soaked in blood. The scarlet prints he left behind sent a shiver down Kai's spine. Up in a flash, she was sprinting towards him before she had even processed the situation.

"Oki!" The cry was involuntary, her voice betraying her emotions. Oki was alive, and her heart swelled with joy at the thought. But…

The bloodied prints flashed through her mind. "Oki!" she called his name again, this time lacing her voice with panic. _Please… _she prayed, _Let him be alright…_

"Kai…" Oki glanced up hazily as she came running towards him. _I'm sorry…_

And he collapsed at her feet, human again.

* * *

**Suckish ending, as usual. Whatever. It's late, I'm sick, I have a broken wrist, and my eyes are burning. Maybe I'll go back and edit it later.**

**I'll leave who ends up saving Oki up to your imagination, 'cause honestly, I'm not sure myself. I had thought it could be Waka, but then, he would've already found the Ark and stuff, so that doesn't fit with what happens in the game... Ah well...**

**Reviews appreciated!  
**


End file.
